Now I can say that we've been in the biggest building under one roof in the world. It is so big, our guide told us, that the entire complex of Disney Land in California could be put inside and there would still be 13 acres left empty.
Where were we? On a tour of one of Boeing's factories. And below, the photo shows only one section of a long, long building.
Underneath the building are tunnels to get employees (and visitors like us) from one location in the complex to another. Factory floor space is too important to be wasted on passageways, bathrooms, or cafeterias.
From each tunnel we rode in giant elevators to the viewing mezzanine.
It was fascinating to see so many huge planes being assembled. Amazing to realize the complexity of the project from beginning to end. And frustrating not to remember many of the details.
No photos were allowed, and since I'm the type who snaps the information signage for subsequent reporting, I'm left with only the overall view of what is a monumental task: building a giant machine made of six million parts that can defy gravity, leave earth behind, carry tons of people and goods safely through the sky, and come back down in one piece.
However, I do have Tom, whose memory for facts and figures is much better than mine.
In one section we saw the Dreamlifter passenger liner--the 787--the factory's current pride and joy, being assembled utilizing cutting edge technology. It is not being constructed of metal (steel and aluminum) but rather a body made of a carbon-fiber composite (think extremely thin, very lightweight) and very strong, but lightweight titanium parts. The wingtips, instead of extending out flat, have a visible curve upward at the tip. And during flight, both wings will actually flex about five to ten feet--much like the flapping wings of a real bird.
The planes being built are priced for airframe only, which means just the shell of the plane costs an average of $250 million depending on size. The airline for whom the plane is being built then has the choice--and expense--of purchasing an engine (kind of necessary!), choosing the type of seats, planning the seating arrangements, and making all other interior decorating decisions from other sources. Boeing will then customize the plane.
We didn't see a plane being painted, but we were told it takes several days and adds at least 600 pounds to the plane.
And here's a real fake fact:
Since we couldn't take photos in the factory, the Boeing store faked it for us!
We did visit the "Future of Flight" exhibit where we could take photos. There we saw several of the more modern engines that could be purchased. This Rolls Royce engine had carbon-fiber composite fan blades that not only cooled the engine, but sucked enough air to add to the thrust of the plane.
The blades themselves looked like abstract art:
The compact complexity of the engine:
The landing gear with its very costly titanium strut;
Research is important. Boeing is developing a material called micro-lattice that is both unbelievably strong and extremely lightweight. So lightweight it can sit on a dandelion seed head without crushing it!
One other innovation that is being seriously worked on is the use of biofuel instead of gasoline. This research is important because of our shrinking oil supplies. One day we can expect planes to be powered by fuel derived from trees, plants, manure and other organic material. In fact, several airlines are already doing biofuel test flights.
So all in all, we had a very interesting day. I must say I'm looking forward to being airborne in a Boeing 784 and seeing how much those wings really flap!
